Seth Rogen has done well for himself. The same is true for Judd Apatow. So well, in fact, that after the excellent (albeit irreverent) comedy Knocked Up and to some extent Superbad, I'm very interested in anything either of them do. And when both names grace the same film -- I'm there. I didn't even watch the preview, I just showed up in the theatre. Hence, I didn't know the subject matter of "PE" -- mainly marijuana. Drug films are not my cup of tea -- no pun intended. But, I was there and these guys are funny so I watched. Overall, "PE" didn't rise to the comedic quality level of earlier works mentioned, but it was still a lot of fun, it never bored and didn't require its audience to be high in order to enjoy.

For the record, I'm not a stoner -- clearly the prime target viewer for this picture. Still, despite the abundance of the "smoking pot" refrain, the film finds a way to charm. There's a feeling that these guys really enjoy each others' company and are happy to welcome you into their little group. For them, it's as if making this picture required very little effort -- or departure -- from how they'd spend their weekend otherwise. Okay, so they'd just be pretending when it came to the part with the guns and shooting. And that's the only part that gets a bit sticky, the guns and shoot up scene at the end. It's fun and even a bit jolting at times, but goes just a tad long for the rhythm of the picture and doesn't merge well with the whole.

For those who wish to discourage the use of marijuana, there is even a realization/recognition of the negative aspects. Or, as Judd Apatow said in an interview (and I paraphrase) "the film definitely proves that if you smoke pot you'll end up being shot at by an Asian drug gang." As for grading, just barely a B+.

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